In our reading from the 2nd letter to the Corinthians today, Paul continues to defend himself from those who are trying to discredit him and who are trying to lead the Corinthians away from the truth of the faith. He tells them of his roots in Judaism and his qualifications. He also emphasizes all the trials and sufferings that he endured. Paul put his ministry above everything else.
One of the members of St Jude contacted me several weeks ago, telling me how he reached out to the Jewish community at Beth Israel Synagogue here in Jackson, feeling that we Christians need to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the Jewish faith, to show solidarity with them as anti-Semitism and acts of discrimination have escalated against them in our country with their on-going conflict in Palestine. It is important for us to be in solidarity with no only our fellow Christians, but our Jewish brothers and sisters as well. Sometimes, we can just see our own perspective and our own little corner of the world, forgetting how important it is to reach out to others.
Most of us are not called to make the sacrifices that Paul had to make on his journey of faith. Even a couple of weeks ago, when I had to leave Clinton at 4:30 in the morning to journey to northeast Mississippi, making it home at 7:00 pm after a very long day, and then having to get ready for a new week, the experiences and inconvenience I have are nothing compared to what St Paul had to endure on a daily basis. But I think we need to ask ourselves: what can we do to reach out of ourselves to spread the Gospel message and to reach out to others?
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